Interlaminar Shear Characteristics, Energy Consumption, and Carbon Emissions of Polyurethane Mixtures

The interlaminar shear characteristics of a polyurethane (PU) mixture composite structure, quantitatively calculating its energy consumption and carbon emissions were analyzed in this study. Inclined shear tests were carried out on thirteen structures without interlaminar treatment, and high-temperature water bath accelerated loading tests were conducted on three composite structures; further, the interlaminar shear strength of the tire trace position after the accelerated loading test was tested to analyze the influence of both the high-temperature water bath environment and loading on the structure. In addition, based on the medium repair project of the Qingdao-Yinchuan expressway, the construction log of PU mixture pavement and asphalt pavement was investigated. Combined with the calculation parameters provided by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the consumption and carbon emissions of the two types of mixtures were calculated and compared quantitatively. The results showed that the shear strength between layers of asphalt mixtures, PU mixture and asphalt mixture was less than 2 MPa; however, the shear strength between PU mixture-cement-stabilized macadam and PU mixture-PU mixture was greater than 3 MPa. Therefore, it was recommended to spread a 0.4 L/m(2) two-component PU adhesive layer as the interlayer treatment scheme for the structure of asphalt mixture-PU mixture and PU mixture-asphalt mixture; the high-temperature water area and accelerated loading had different effects on the interlaminar shear strength of the three structures. The PUM-16 mixture could effectively reduce energy consumption by 88.3 and 87.2%, carbon emissions by 81.1% and 79.1% in comparison to Stone Matrix asphalt with Nominal maximum particle size of 13.2 mm (SMA-13) and Stone Matrix asphalt with Nominal maximum particle size of 19.0 mm (SMA-20). Thus, the PU mixture was confirmed to be an environmentally friendly road pavement material.

Automated summary

This study analyzed the interlaminar shear characteristics of a polyurethane mixture composite structure and quantitatively calculated its energy consumption and carbon emissions. The results showed that using appropriate interlayer treatment schemes can improve interlaminar shear strength in different structures. Additionally, compared to Stone Matrix asphalt, the PU mixture exhibited lower energy consumption and carbon emissions, making it an environmentally friendly road pavement material.